Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

The Deputy is entirely right. It is an enormous stressor. Verification is really important. The Deputy has made that point and it is absolutely correct. Child protection and all those aspects are really important and no one in this House would ever do anything to weaken that. We can move on from wondering if somebody will ever answer the telephone in a rural Garda station. Gardaí are very busy people. They are doing a great job getting out and about, and we want them out and about. By the way, I am really proud of the passport service and of its turnaround times. It is a great example of public sector reform. I am very interested in working with the Minister for justice to try to develop a better protocol that will move us towards the 21st century in terms of how this is done. In fact, I think we could further enhance further the protection of a child through the use of technology in relation to this. I will talk to the Minister, Deputy O’Callaghan, and we will be back on this matter.

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